Integrating Citizen and Stakeholder: Mapping Platforms and Decision Support Systems for Climate Adaptation

Decision Support Systems (DSS) play a critical role in climate adaptation by providing tools to guide decision-making processes. However, most existing DSS primarily focus on delivering scientific information, often reflecting a scientism-driven and enlightenment-oriented perspective that assumes knowledge dissemination alone will lead to optimal decisions. This approach must frequently pay more attention to decision-makers' diversity, contexts, and the participatory mechanisms necessary to incorporate local knowledge and values. As a result, DSS in climate adaptation often fails to bridge the gap between scientific expertise and the lived realities of citizens and stakeholders.

This study examines citizen and stakeholder knowledge integration within DSS in climate adaptation platforms through a comprehensive evaluation framework. The research begins by questioning what constitutes a “decision” in climate adaptation, who the decision-makers are, and how decisions are made. By addressing these foundational questions, the study highlights the limitations of current DSS, which are primarily information-centric, and explores their implications for participatory governance.

This research evaluates the functionality of over 50 global and domestic climate adaptation platforms based on interactivity, accessibility, contextual relevance, and capacity for fostering collaboration through systematic classification and mapping. It also emphasizes the role of participatory tools, citizen science, and co-creation practices in transforming DSS from mere data providers into platforms for collaborative decision-making.